Is BBC Weather the Best Weather App for Liverpool?
Whenever we leave the house, we all like to have some idea what the weather is going to get up to whilst we’re out. Although you can just look out the window and see what’s going on in the here and now, the reality is that that won’t tell you much about what the weather is going to be like in ten minutes time or even longer.
There is little doubt that we’ve all gone out expecting one thing, only for the weather to seemingly turn on a sixpence and result in us finding ourselves in a completely different environment in totally the wrong clothes.
With the advent of the smartphone came apps for all sort of different things, not the least of which was the launch of weather applications. These clever little things are supposed to be able to give us a sense of what the weather will be like in the here and now, as well as hint towards what may come in the future.
The BBC Weather app is thought to be one of the best ones, but for residents of Liverpool it often feels as though it is anything but. Is it the best app when it comes to working out what the weather in Liverpool is going to be like?
The BBC’s Reputation Precedes It
The British Broadcasting Corporation has long boasted a reputation for being one of the most reliable and trustworthy sources of news that you can find.
For a time, many major other news organisations would aim to emulate the BBC because of how trusted the organisation was around the world. As a result, anything produced by the BBC has a certain reputation attached to it that means that some people will trust it more than it sometimes deserves to be trusted. After all, this is the body that gave us Mrs Brown’s Boys.
@thatrobbiejames Oh ffffffs @BBC News @BBC #bbc #bbcnews #bbciplayer #weather #hurricane #weatherreport #fyp ♬ original sound – Robbie James
Countless people have downloaded the BBC Weather app at one point or another, adding it to their smartphone in the hope of being able to get a sense of what the weather is going to be up to before heading out for the day.
The problem is, the BBC Weather app isn’t really all that useful when it comes to doing the job that it’s intended for. The fact that the BBC as a network has long been trustworthy doesn’t mean you should completely depend on what the BBC Weather app has got to say when there are other options available.
It Doesn’t Use the Met Office
When the BBC Weather app was first launched onto our smartphones, the data that it used came from the Met Office. Whilst the Met Office itself doesn’t always get the weather right, it is fair to say that it has been one of the more reliable services over the years.
In the February of 2018, however, the BBC made a decision to move away from the Met Office for its weather forecasts and instead began working with a service called MeteoGroup for its data. That means that the two services might give you entirely different forecasts.
The BBC weather app consistently under-performs, it’s only my affection for the whole idea of BBC weather forecasting that means I keep it on my phone. Today is a low point.
— Dr Matt Pope (@mattpope.bsky.social) 24 January 2025 at 07:35
Obviously everyone will have their own favourites when it comes to the weather apps that are available for smartphones, but the area that you live might be the most important factor. For those living and working in Liverpool, the reality is that the city being so close to the Irish Sea means that the weather is a highly unpredictable beast.
It could be snowing to the point of being stopped from leaving your house in Cheshire, for example, whilst Liverpool city centre can seem like it’s barely even winter, let alone there being a whiteout.
It is also important to think about what it is that you’re going to be doing with your time when leaving the house and looking at your weather app of choice. If you’re heading to the Liverpool ONE to do some shopping, for example, then you are likely to need an entirely different outfit compared to someone heading for a walk along the waterfront.
Whilst the BBC Weather app, or any other weather app for that matter, can give you a sense of what to expect, where you are and what you’re up to are things you’ll have to work out for yourself.
